Toning and Patina: Blending New Repairs to Old Work and Creating an Antique Finish - with Tad Fallon

As a conservator specializing in the treatment and research of both clear and opaque coatings on furniture and wooden artifacts, I am often confronted with the task of blending in well executed wooden repairs that are adjacent to old “original” or historically important presentation surfaces.

Patination is one of the more challenging things to do when creating an authentic looking antique finish. There are a wide range of materials and techniques that can be utilized to create this patina of age on repairs or new reproduction pieces. The best work is subtle, appears natural and avoids looking contrived.

Another application of these materials and techniques is the finishing of newly fabricated pieces that may need to blend in with an existing set or collection, as was the case with the work our firm did reproducing 28 pieces of Federal Furniture for the Hamilton Grange National Memorial, a National Park service site in New York City that preserves the relocated home of U.S. Founding Father Alexander Hamilton.

During this hands – on class, students will be introduced to the wide range of materials I have found useful during the patination type finishing process, including the use of inorganic chemical reagents, shellacs, pigments, dyes, water colors, glues, gums, acids, bleach, airbrush and other tips for successful toning and patination. These materials will be broken down and explained as parts of a finishing “system” that can be manipulated to create a variety of effects.

Students will have sample furniture molding and flat test boards to work with and will be provided with a small carved object to tone and patinate as a “final project”. Tuition: $145.00 plus materials